Union City's First Green Building Mounted on the roof of Union City's newest fire station is a photovoltaic system which uses solar cells to convert light into electricity. Now you can monitor up to the minute savings and other benefits of this energy conservation equipment. View real time data from Fire Station 3

Fire Station No. 3

Fire Station 3 Sustainable Building Design Overview

It may feature a beautiful red brick facade, but everything else about Union City's newest fire house says green! Fire Station No. 3 was designed to achieve certification through the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. Station 3 is located on Seventh Street and is currently being evaluated to determine which level of LEED certification has been achieved, i.e. Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum.

Measures taken to make Fire Station No. 3 Union City's first green building:

• Utilizing a previously designated brown-field site
• Maximizing open space around the building
• Filtering the storm and vehicle wash water on site before it reaches the public waterways
• Reducing the “Heat Island” effect of increasing local temperatures by the use of reflective roofing and concrete paving
• Reducing landscape irrigation demand by more than 50% over normal by the use drought tolerant plants with a drip irrigation system instead of typical spray heads
• Incorporating a landscape design that is in compliance with “Bay Friendly” principals
• Reducing the demand for potable water by over 30% through the use of low volume fixtures
• Commissioning the buildings systems that draw electrical power to ensure they are operating at 100% efficiency
• Incorporating a solar photovoltaic system on the southern roof that generates more than 19% of the building’s electrical demand
• Utilizing efficient heating and cooling system that draws its energy from hot an cold water rather from lower efficient conventional electric air conditioning systems
• Eliminating ozone depleting CFC’s from the project
• Diverting more than 76% of the construction waste from the landfill by recycling
• Utilizing building materials that contain more than 10% recycled material
• Using more than 25% of building materials that are produced locally
• Choosing exterior building materials that require very low maintenance and are extremely durable.  (Concrete wainscot, Brick Veneer, Metal Roofing, Apparatus Bay Doors)
• Providing natural ventilation though the use of operable windows
• Maintaining a healthy indoor environment by:
• Keeping construction dust and debris out of the ventilation system
• Using low VOC emitting adhesives, paints, carpets and flooring systems
• Eliminating formaldehyde and other out-gassing chemicals from interior finish products
• Using occupancy sensors on much of the lighting system to turn off lighting in un-occupied rooms
• More than 75% of all rooms utilize natural daylighting to reduce energy costs and provide quality light.  Notice the use of horizontal sunshades on the east and southern windows that block direct sunlight from entering the spaces.  Also notice the tubular skylights in the apparatus bay locker rooms and hallway
• More than 90% of rooms provide direct views to the outside providing a comfortable living environment